3DS review: Kid Icarus: Uprising

Following up on his return to the scene in 2007’s Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Pit once again takes flight in Kid Icarus: Uprising for the 3DS, a game that combines arcade-style on-rails shooting sequences with ground-based adventure and action elements.  The story begins with a simple-enough premise: the forces of the Underworld are spreading across the Earth, and Lady Palutena suspects Medusa is responsible for this sudden influx.  Calling upon her most trusted angel Pit, Palutena mounts an offensive against these ruthless invaders, with her ultimate goal being that of the retrieval of the Three Sacred Treasures, relics which were previously used to defeat Medusa and which hold the power to do so once again.

Nine missions later, and the game leads you to believe you have bested the greatest threats of myth, only to shatter this illusion by revealing Hades as the true villain.  Pit has seen only the tip of the iceberg with regards to the many foes he will face and the factions that will attempt to take advantage of the conflict between the forces of Skyworld and the Underworld.  That is one of the greatest advantages both the story and gameplay have in Kid Icarus: Uprising – there is always a surprise waiting around the corner, whether it is the game duping you into believing you’ve reached its conclusion before you’ve reached even the halfway marker, the inclusion of a top-down scrolling shoot-‘em-up segment in the vein of Space Invaders, or the use of vehicles to traverse both the Earth and the stars.

The game’s sense of humor falls into a similar category, often making fun of itself, and even more frequently seeing Palutena and goddess of nature Viridi poke fun at Pit, who – noble as he may be – is naïve and perhaps too reliant on Palutena’s powers at times.  There are references to other Nintendo properties, like when Pit quips that a certain enemy type resembles the parasitic Metroids, to which Viridi corrects him that the two fictional video game universes apparently share no connection.  For such a grandiose revival of a series that has remained dormant for twenty-one years, it’s comforting to see that it doesn’t take itself too seriously, despite all its successes in design.

The gameplay is intense throughout, as enemies come at Pit from all directions, and in increasingly greater numbers.  With rare exception, practically every chapter begins with Pit soaring through the skies, guided by Palutena’s power, as he shoots down airborne forces of the Underworld.  These sequences are relatively simple to control, with the joystick moving Pit about the screen, and the stylus aiming his shots.  Enemies that get too close will instead be struck by a blade attack, and there are typically only a few predetermined chances for Pit to heal before his feet touch the ground.  The second segments of each chapter generally see Pit land in some town, fortress, vessel, or other large structure to face off with enemies on a more personal level.  Pit can dash for a brief period of time, dodge enemy fire, and charge up shots.  He can also scour treasure chests for healing food items, optional abilities, and temporary items of aid like a protective shield or bomb.

As these ground fight sequences generally make up the latter half (or more) of a chapter, they frequently end with some sort of boss fight, each of which mixes up the familiar formula of firing, dodging, and going in for quick and hard strikes just enough by including grind rails, chariot races, and environmental hazards into the fray.  The boss fights are not equal in their degree of difficulty or intensity, but they are memorable encounters, nonetheless.  Between stages, players have the option to sell weapons they have collected within each stage or fuse them into greater tools.  Some weapons are more powerful in close-quarters, others better with range, and finding one’s personal preferred balance between these and optional upgrades like healing factors, quick-charge shots, stationary energy shields, and more adds a great degree of freedom in playing with whichever strategy you so desire.

At the start of each chapter, the game will ask you to bet hearts – the in-game currency – to determine both the difficulty factor and potential rewards.  More hearts bet means there is a greater chance of earning more in return, but Pit will also take significantly more damage when hit.  Most stages reward more adventurous players by including areas only accessible on higher difficulties, and these can include treasure chests with rarer items or a hot spring where Pit can bask and heal up before continuing on.  Similar to the Super Smash Bros. series, there are various challenges that can be completed to unlock new character and stage models, and an egg toss ‘mini-game’ (if it can even be considered such a thing) acts like Melee’s trophy vending machine lottery.  While these eggs are given as rewards for completing each chapter and offer different rewards based on their colors, they can also be purchased with 3DS play coins.  A multiplayer battle arena mode can be taken on with local friends or online in both team-based and free-for-all matches, which will also net players extra powers and weapons.

Visually, Kid Icarus: Uprising is one of the best-looking games on the 3DS to date.  While Greek and Roman mythos hold heavy sway over character designs, there is a significant amount of creative freedom shown in the designs of pirate starships and the war machines used by the forces of nature.  Many of the weapons Pit wields bear either stone-like textures or dull metallic shines, while the flight segments of any given chapter do extremely well to play with lighting effects that dance off rivers or the interior chambers of some of the game’s larger fortresses.  The soundtrack has a sweeping epic feel that evokes memories of a John Williams score on more than one occasion, very much befitting an adventure/action hybrid that tries so hard to blaze its own path in the realm of handheld gaming.

While it is easy to be swept away by all the impressive feats that Kid Icarus: Uprising triumphs over and forget that it is a handheld exclusive, the game does trip up over itself on occasions few and far between.  Certain stages suffer from poor choice in enemy placement - while it is always smart to check your surroundings before diving headfirst into battle, these particular areas don’t provide you that luxury.  Were it not for the fact that you need to spin the camera around so often while on foot, the need to do this and attempt to dodge enemy attacks at the same time might not prove such an annoyance.  Other stages do not seem to change up the number of healing items available from one difficulty setting to another, making their lower-level counterparts only slightly less so challenging overall, as this game is, at its core, for gamers who want an intense action experience, despite how unorthodox a hybrid design it might be.  Still, even with this handful of missteps, Kid Icarus: Uprising is a bold gamble for Nintendo that paid off brilliantly, as it is not only one of the more original titles on the 3DS in terms of both gameplay and design, but also one of the most fun to play and replay.

My rating: 9.25 (out of 10)

Wii review: Sin and Punishment: Star Successor

Set many years after the original Sin and Punishment, the Wii sequel, Sin and Punishment: Star Successor, sees two new heroes facing off against giant artificial creatures deep within the Earth and waves of grunt units beneath the waves of the ocean, in sandy deserts, and even in dreamscapes as they attempt to best their pursuers, the ever-persistent force known as Nebulox. Isa, son of Saki and Airan from the original Sin and Punishment, was previously allied with the Nebulox, but has since gone rogue in hopes of protecting his non-human friend Kachi from their intent to kill her as part of a supposed ‘will of the creators’. While perhaps not as immediately exciting a premise for opening up the world of Star Successor as the original Sin and Punishment’s cyberpunk rebellion presented, this long-awaited sequel is arguably more adventurous than its predecessor with a greater willingness to change up environment and enemy designs (thanks in no small part to the greater capabilities of the hardware it is running on being two console generations forward).

The controls are simple enough – the Wiimote is pointed at the screen to aim, while the nunchuck joystick is used to move the protagonists around the screen. They can fire single shots, or simply carry out a constant barrage of blasts, as well as release a charged bomb blast every time the shot meter resets. Isa and Kachi can dodge in any direction to avoid incoming fire or environmental hazards, and the two have unique abilities that offer subtle differences in their play styles – Isa is able to switch between manual aim and locking on to singular targets, while Kachi can automatically lock-on and fire at multiple enemies. While firing shots from a distance will be the primary means for dispatching enemies, any foes foolish enough to get in close quarters with the heroes can be struck by a fast and powerful blade.

None of the missions are particularly lengthy, though they certainly branch off into more open and brightly-colored areas than those in the original game. Star Successor’s soundtrack retains much of the original’s upbeat and exciting electronic style, while enemy designs range from techno-organic hybridizations more common to cyberpunk works to gigantic marine wildlife and exaggerated Japanese mythos. Boss fights are often multi-tiered, making them both mid-stage and end-stage highlights of the experience. The difficulty factor for Star Successor’s normal setting, on the other hand, has been toned down a decent amount from that of the first game, so players looking for a more grueling challenge may be somewhat disappointed.

Aside from cooperative play, there’s really not much to speak of in the way of extra gameplay features. Once a stage has been completed in story mode, players can revisit it at their leisure from the mission select menu. Sin and Punishment: Star Successor is a game that is primarily focused on doing a few things really well – and in an era when shoot-‘em-ups are few and far between (especially those heavy on the arcade-style gameplay of Sin and Punishment), it handles these fronts masterfully. While it would be nice to have received a greater number of stages, what Sin and Punishment: Star Successor does offer in its existing eight missions are highly-polished and creative enemy designs, exciting environments, intense and diverse boss fights, and finely-tuned controls that make for a final product which dares to break the mold of what is expected of games in the modern era.

My rating: 8 (out of 10)

Gamecube review: Killer7

You may have gathered from my many reviews of Suda51’s games that I am a huge fan of his work. Much as I love No More Heroes and its sequel, I was acutely aware of the fact that most Suda51 fans held Killer7 to just as high a caliber. I recall seeing promo content for Killer7 before it ever released on the Gamecube via Nintendo Power and various websites, but never had the chance to play it in proper until recently. Whereas No More Heroes is an unapologetic satire on the action game genre as well as the video game industry at large, Killer7 combines horror and action elements in an on-rails shooter that involves clever puzzles, requires quick thinking and fast reflexes, and boasts a curious brand of dark psychedelic flair.

The Smith Syndicate, otherwise known as the Killer7, is made up of – you guessed it – seven core members. Garcian Smith is liason between the six assassins and their master, Harman Smith. In the event that one of the six assassins – Kevin, Dan, Kaede, Mask, Con, or Coyote – is killed during a mission, Garcian can retrieve their remains and bring them back to life. The catch, however is that Garcian must retread their steps into enemy-filled territory. Thus is the big gamble with retrieving a dead Smith – Garcian cannot be upgraded, and in the event that a mission does not require use of the Smith in question’s unique abilities, it may be wise to simply carry on with the remaining members of the syndicate.

Blood is the currency of Killer7, and is used to heal during a mission, required to utilize the unique abilities of each of the Smiths, and can be exchanged for upgrade points to boost the stats of the Smiths. Each Smith has a different skill set, ranging from Con’s speed in both mobility and firing rate, to Kaede’s long-distance scoped pistol, to Kevin’s throwing knives which negate any need to reload. However, each Smith has an offset to prevent any single one from becoming more powerful than the others. Con’s defensive capacities are practically nonexistent, and though Mask deSmith is built like a tank, the spread of his grenade launchers results in his gathering a lower-quality blood far more often than not. Kaede and Mask’s unique abilities often reveal hidden messages and passageways respectively, and are most helpful in solving puzzles. Coyote and Kevin’s abilities are most frequently used to access new areas of the map, while Con’s ability to hear specific sounds and determine the correct path off those sees the least use. Dan’s ability to charge up one Collateral Shot in order to take out enemy spawn points is used sparingly, but is practical nonetheless.

The enemies that the Killer7 face at every turn are monstrous humanoids known as Heaven’s Smiles – effectively walking time bombs with abilities that vary from one mission to the next. If a Heaven’s Smile gets too close to one of the Smiths, it will detonate and chisel away a decent portion of their health bar. Some varieties of Heaven’s Smiles are slow but capable of taking many hits, others are stationary but notably more lethal as ‘turret’ units. Some of the more dangerous Heaven’s Smiles, encountered later in the game, are designed to race toward players before they have much time to devise a countering strategy. While the game never feels cheap or frustratingly difficult, it certainly demands a unique learning curve given its style of gameplay, and a trial-and-error pattern is key to taking down some of the game’s most lethal enemies.

These Heaven’s Smiles are the binds that tie everything together, plot-wise. At the outset, Harman has an encounter with an old acquaintance named Kun Lan. Kun Lan has acquired the means to offer ordinary citizens the chance at becoming Heaven’s Smiles, and furthering his terrorist routine. Swept up in the rivalry of these two old men are political officials representing Japan and the U.S., as well as other radical idealists like one Ulmeyda. It’s a melting pot of cleverly-scripted characters with colorful attitudes that lean more toward the practical and realistic given the scenario at large, as opposed to No More Heroes’ more crazy and eccentric residents. Even with the M-rating slapped on the box, it should be noted that Killer7 is a thinking man’s game – not just because of the logic-based puzzles, but because of the story and setting’s emphasis on more adult themes like modern terror tactics, cultist followings, irregularities in space-time, geopolitics, and moral ambiguity.

Much like the more recent Killer is Dead, Killer7 utilizes a hyper cel-shaded art style, wherein whites are borderline-glaringly bright, and shadows are nearly pitch black. The animations and details of each character model are incredibly well-rendered, however, so it is thankfully not a case of the art style trumping the care put into bringing the Smith Syndicate to life. The soundtrack incorporates a number of industrial and techno tunes to flesh out its near-future setting, while also adding a dash of rock and classical string sounds to the mix. Some of the cutscenes opt for a modern anime approach, while the majority deliver story segments in small doses of grungy 2D digital animation.

Kiler7 will run players about fifteen hours or so on their first playthrough. Some levels are more time-consuming than others, as they may require the Smith Syndicate to retrace their steps in order to complete a puzzle that was impossible to overcome at an earlier point. Others host considerably more enemies, leading players to have their triggers ready to go at a moment’s notice. But even the first introductory level lacks a linear design. There is never a set order in which players must overcome the various challenges of each mission, rather the ultimate goal is to retrieve all the required Soul Shells rewarded from mastering puzzles and exploring the environment. The game does mark each puzzle, Soul Shell, and point of interest on the map screen, making retreading one’s steps a less tedious process, though the game will never state outright what needs to be done at each location.

However, clues can be purchased for an adequate amount of blood from the ghostly figure of Yoon-Hyoon and his luchador mask. Similarly, the bondage jumpsuit-bound individual known as Iwazaru offers tidbits on local enemy tactics in any given locale. Arguably the most interesting of these phantoms is Travis Bell, a young man who knows perhaps more about the picture at large than any of the Smiths. His knowledge of the Japan-U.S. political affairs and the associates Garcian occasionally meets with makes him a key part of unraveling the grander story.

While the seven Smiths are merely faces with separate weapon sets at the start of Killer7, they each have their time in the spotlight, and by the game’s final hours, each will have a distinct and rounded identity. Some of the Smiths are explored in greater detail through letters and key items found within missions, forcing some digging on the part of players. Others, like Dan and Mask, have fully-scripted cutscenes allotted to them. Upon completing the main game, the grueling challenge of Killer8 is unlocked, which grants players access to Harman Smith alongside the other six assassins.

Killer7 is a rare gem, unfortunately overlooked by many due to its limited exclusivity to the Gamecube and release late in the sixth console generation. Despite the fact that the game does see a couple of hiccups few and far between, there isn’t any one element that stands out as being significantly flawed. Killer7 is weird, no doubt, but that is standard of any Suda51 title. Killer7's unorthodox controls and general gameplay may seem a bit daunting at first, but by the time players complete the first mission, it should all feel very fluid and natural. Killer7 deals with some dark plot elements that are very relevant to this day and age, and the culmination of its mature storytelling, wild artistic vision, and crazy creative gameplay make it one of the best games I have experienced on Nintendo’s purple lunchbox console.

My rating: 10 (out of 10)